✨The EC 🪙 / 💸 CC Converter!

Deleted • 21 January 2024 at 1:44 PM

Wait! I know what you're thinking...! Don't get angry and keep reading, please? I promise this is a good idea and also reasonable enough! ❤️

I noticed many users are feeling burned out / tired by the rhythm of premium-currency releases per month (not talking about re-releases per se). Before, we had 3 monthly CSPs (1500CC per month), then to lower the pressure, @Ian decided to do 2 monthly CSPs and 2 monthly cave creatures (1000CC to spend each month, plus the additional 200CC creature mid-month).

Now, with re-release happening, we have 2 CSPs and 2 re-releases, for a whopping total of 3000CC per month!! And I'm not counting the monthly freezes many will want, too. 😱

I think sadly it's not healthy to have to spend that amount each month to "keep it up" with the speed of the game - some people that can afford to buy CC will feel pressured to buy / spend too much, and regular EC user that can't afford to purchase it will burn out even more trying to trade / having to sacrifice other creatures to get new ones... getting a complete collection will be indeed, very hard!

What I am proposing is not a change in the system (I think we're fine like this), but the implementation of a CC x EC Converter in which users will be able to exchange ECs for CC (since not always you will find people that will sell you CC and also, many people are inflating the usual EC / CC ratio of 100CC = 1mil to increase CC value and price). To make it so people won't abuse the system and for CC to be valuable and used, I suggest the CC / EC converter will have a *fixed sum* that can be traded each month! im asking you how much would you think it's fair (I'm tilting towards 1000CC since then exchanging ECs, you'll be able to afford one re-release or two regular CSPs). It will be also be a good EC sink since we actually need something else to waste ECs on and give some value to it, too. It's a way to get CC that you have to work hard for (= feeding to make ECs). This will incentivate people to feed more, too, I think. 😊

What do you think about this idea? >////<

(Please be kind and polite in your reply, critiques are always accepted as long they're constructive! 🙏)

I'm pinging some friends only because I know they won't probably mind the ping(s), If you want you can ping some more people in, and thank you!

@lunacharm1037
@kataclysm
@dragrawr
@lexicon

(Sorry for bothering, you guys!)

hikanu • 21 January 2024 at 1:58 PM

Personally I wouldn't be against it because I enjoy gaining something from hard work. As long as it doesn't frustrate me unreasonably or "waste" my previous hard work by forcing me to do stuff I don't want to do on principle, but...

The part of me that's been privy to the fallout of 'game balance arguements' and know that the team do need a certain amount of cash to make things behind the scene balanced too, is at least a little on the fence when it comes to being hopeful this will go through. ^^'

lunacharm1037 • 21 January 2024 at 2:06 PM

thanks for the ping. your idea is not a bad one and I like the idea of putting a cap of 1000 fixed sum each month to prevent abuse . I think users being able to purchase CC this way will enable them to be able to purchase a CC pet(s) or a freeze or whatever.
On another topic I'd like to see the rereleases last for like3 days. This 24 hour thing is not really fair to: us with slow computers, jobs, kids, ect. then the more fortunate users sell the CC pets for an outrageous price making it almost impossible to get a rerelese pet. Just a thought.

Deleted • 21 January 2024 at 2:07 PM

Thanks for the input, you guys! 🙏

@hikanu yeah, I know well that the team need to make money out the site to run it, too. I'm kinda hoping that one extra creature or two to be able to earn through this, will also mean more freezes to be used. 😊 I'm crossing my fingers and still hoping a little, but even If not, I'll see If I can help the EC economy a little in the future until I can, too. ✨

@lunacharm1037 you've got a solid point, too. It's very difficult to catch a wave and I feel trying for them is very stress-inducing lately. I don't get re-releases but I helped a friend get one this month and man, it was stressing... managed to get one and the moment after they were all gone.😔

lexicon • 21 January 2024 at 2:59 PM

personally LOVE this idea. i think it has been suggested before? i think it just makes sense; people are doing it currently through trades/posting topics about it why not just make it easy and have it be a built-in feature of the site! i am totally fine with the 1k CC cap as well and the base being 1M EC=100 CC

i am actually wondering what the potential issues are for just having a free use converter? for example, sometimes i am scrambling to get EC for auctions and have to trade my CC with someone for EC. it's your money i feel like you should be able to do what you want with it and the ability to freely change between EC or CC depending on your need would be fantastic. my 2 cents 😊

Deleted • 21 January 2024 at 3:05 PM

@lexicon you raise a good question my friend, maybe we'd also need a converter to make CC into ECs? Sometimes it's very hard to find trades through other users, it's true, so that would help a lot (for example when there is a new SARC creature).

Thank you very much for giving your input, glad you like the idea! 🙏💖 I didn't know it was suggested already (probably should have searched before), but since I wanted to suggest through my pov and with my idea about the implementation mechanics, maybe it was still good to make a separate topic about it. 😊

lexicon • 21 January 2024 at 3:41 PM

maybe if we had the option for both it would lessen the concern some might have that this is just to avoid buying CC/won't be profitable for the site? i think EC is also desirable because of auctions and i personally like having a good amount stored up to buy items for quests as well! and like you said maybe releasing more SARC creatures in the future!

could just be me thinking about it or remembering it popping up years ago lol not to discourage you or say you shouldn't have posted it! on the contrary, if it is brought up every few months/years it means people are still interested in having this be a feature and generates new conversation about it so thank you for posting 😊❤️

dragrawr • 21 January 2024 at 3:42 PM

@sinthr I will always always push for an ec to CC terminal. It’s been brought up before but I think it really needs to be looked at more and more. A cap is a good idea too, since Ian and the team and artists still need to be payed somehow ! 🖤🖤🖤

Deleted • 21 January 2024 at 3:49 PM

@lexicon yeah, that's a really nice idea for sure! 😊 I also feel like we need more incentives to spend EC on the site... more stuff that make us spend ECs. Something maybe like the thief shop or questing system / VEND, or even more SARC creatures released. Having a gallery would also make people spend more on items to showcase etc etc...

And yeah, I think some people might definitely be interested, I think I saw an user posting that same request on a blog post a month or two ago, too... can't remember who they were tho.

@dragrawr yesss I'm with you there, we can still find some balance between the two necessities. Thank you for taking the time to look into this suggestion! ❤️

organgrinder324 • 21 January 2024 at 4:03 PM

Personally, I tink it would be great if we were able to do this. I think it would be useful for all the users Especially newbies who are too young for a credit card to be able to purchase CC using EC. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I don't see it happening though. Ian and the artists need to get paid somehow hence the CC at the *shop* .

zircon • 21 January 2024 at 4:13 PM

@sinthr
I do recall this being mentioned last year sometime (like lexicon mentioned above), and it turned into a huge topic. I've always loved the idea of having an easier and more accessible way to swap EC to CC, plus I like the addition of perhaps having a cap of the amount to eliminate abusing the conversion system.
It's interesting to see how CC has grown in demand throughout the years. I remember when I first joined, the conversion of EC to CC was 450k EC per 50 CC. (Although the 1 mil per 100 stayed the same?) I think I mainly saw the swap in 2021 or 2022? Anyway, the popularity of the currency is growing because of the re-released creatures, so demand in CC is at an all-time high right now.
My main concern with this system would be the effect on the conversion if this does come out. It's a touchy system to mess with. CC is one of the ways Eggcave makes money after all. I feel like there are dips in popularity after the events that give out CC (Gobblers and Eggcave's birthday for example). I view the currency as a game within the game, haha.
I do see more pros with this system than cons, but I'm also not working behind the scenes to see the affects this would have. If this does become a thing, I definitely won't be mad about it, but I will have my concerns when it comes to the long-term repercussions this *could* have.
Sorry this was a longgg ramble, hopefully it made some sense 🥲

Deleted • 21 January 2024 at 4:19 PM

@organgrinder324 glad you like the idea my dude and thank you for posting! 😊 Yes, I think it's a long shot as well but I'm hoping Ian and the crew will still consider it or take some time to think about it. This reminded me of an user I really respected - she joined some years ago and grinded ECs to trade for monthly csps and was very hard-working... then re-releases happens and she is in a hiatus now. And today I stumbled on the wall of an user with a profile stating that they didn't stay on this site for a whole year and they were feeling tired already...😔 I feel like the pressure to have to spend so much will ultimately make some people that could support the site with money, go away / leave because of stress.

@zircon very insightful post on your part, thank you! o:
Indeed, without trying it first we'll never know for sure how and how much such a thing could affect the site... maybe in worse, or maybe it could make it better (I don't work behind the scenes as well). I can just offer my own point of view on this and say, I think this would be a positive change, and I also think users would really, really appreciate it. Maybe we could add some more CC items (such as item collection reset, or potions like the star potion but with other symbols... heart potion, moon potion, etc etc...) to have even more reason to spend the occasional CC here and there... I feel like, though, that wouldn't be as stressing as trying to get everything at once in one month since these items that are applied to creatures are permanent in the shop. So maybe more permanent items we can buy with cc and less stress about getting the monthly creatures by giving hard working, ec-earning users a little bonus with an ec converter. 😊

zircon • 21 January 2024 at 5:45 PM

@sinthr
I like the additional potion/item idea! I don't know the last time a new potion was added, and it would be awesome if we had a variety of shapes to choose from instead of just a star. It would also help with the main CC purchases being for the re-released creatures. Gives you more options while spending. 😊

hikanu • 21 January 2024 at 6:04 PM

Popping back in here. I think making it both a CC->EC and an EC->CC converter could help balancing it. Because some people might buy CC for the easy EC. In case they want something on auction/trade right here and now and don't have the time/or want to put in the effort of feeding. Of course there's a risk that this would take activity away from feeding, because, easy EC. But there are pros and cons for everything. 😊

lexicon • 21 January 2024 at 7:29 PM

@zircon ah yes im glad you remembered that it was a topic and im not going crazy! 😊. could you clarify (if you remember what was posted) about how this would be "abusing the conversion system"? cause i feel like getting EC in the first place is hard work. not difficult but extremely time-consuming. if you sit there and feed to get 4M EC, for example, you earned it xD- and therefore should be able to convert to CC no problem! like hikanu said there will always be people who either don't have the time or want the luxury of easily buying CC so i don't see how it would detrimentally impact the economy... and i honestly just don't remember the arguments against this in the first place ouo

anywho! they could randomize a small batch of users to test out a conversion system to see if it would be feasible? 🤔

zircon • 21 January 2024 at 8:00 PM

@lexicon
Oh yes, I do get your point about the feeding and earning the EC/CC part. Perhaps "abusing the conversion system" was poor wording (oops), but here's how I think it would play out without a cap:
Since there are only so many opportunities during the year to simply earn/be rewarded CC, there is of course a higher demand for it vs. EC which can be earned in more ways + at any time.
If there was a system that would allow you to swap the EC for CC at any time for any amount, that in turn would hurt the demand for CC because there would be more readily available in the game.
If there was a cap on how much EC you could convert at a time, it would help Eggcave with the potential loss in funding as well. People would have access to x amount of CC for the month, then if they need more, the buying option is still available.
I might be thinking too hard about what might happen, but who knows! It would certainly be a change to the game though, that's for sure. A testing group would be a wise idea if they did decide to implement it into the game. 😊

lexicon • 21 January 2024 at 8:23 PM

@zircon ah i get it now, thank you for clarifying!❤️. i think it's fun to think through the possibilities! i am 100% for that cap if it would help lessen even the potential of that problem

agreed that there is still (and will always be) a higher demand for CC but now that dailies have been implemented there is yet another way you can work towards CC (1200 a year!)... even with this "easy" way to earn CC... i feel like a lot of people still don't? not sure how true this is for the general populace but personally, i have maybe completed 2-3 months since it was started simply because im lazy i forget lol. just based on my personal account even if there was a free for all way to convert CC/EC back and forth i don't think a lot of people would abuse it simply because it takes a lot of time and effort. maybe i am just old and not about the hustle culture anymore and am underestimating what people will do for CC xD

zircon • 21 January 2024 at 8:33 PM

@lexicon
I definitely struggle with trying to do the daily tasks, haha! It is nice having the option (even if it does take forever) to get an extra 100 per month by doing some tasks. Having the time to get EC or CC can be a challenge at times. 🥲
It would definitely be a luxury if the conversion did get implemented. Even if it had a 1000 cap, it would still be a huge help.

Deleted • 22 January 2024 at 1:45 AM

@zircon
@lexicon

You both raise good arguments, and very good ideas! I worried too about the effect it might have on the CC economy, but I still think it's worth a try (maybe, as Lexi said, with lots of testing first) and also... I don't think it's the converter the problem, but the fact than on the site we lack more alternative to spend out ECs on! 😊 The shops aren't enough and the SARC creatures are released very rarely - we could make it so oasis creatures need to be paid a fee (an offering) in ECs to get, for example, or we could have some If not all, VEND creatures that requires a small EC fee (around 50k?) to claim, along with the tokens. If we make ECs more in demand, then CC economy won't be hurt as well with a converter (especially If people start buying CC to convert it into ECs). ✨

I also see how this could be taken differently by some users, but I'm happy as long the discussion is constructive and civil, we can talk and solve problems and make things better! Even If this never see the light, I think it's very important to talk about it and at least consider the scenario.

Hope I didn't miss anything, I just woke up and I do need coffee. 😂